Putin's United Russia Party won its largest majority in the State Duma ever. It captured 343 out of 450 seats with 99 percent of the votes counted. This is a large enough majority to allow Putin to be able to change the constitution if he wishes.

International observers criticized the political restrictions on the campaign. Likka Kanerva, special co-ordinator for monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE) said that while the election was carried out with "improved transparency and trust", the campaign was "negatively affected by restrictions of fundamental freedoms and political rights, firmly controlled media and a tightening grip on civil society".The four parties that passed the 5 percent support mark and were able to gain seats in the Duma were: United Russia with 54.2 percent, Communist Party 13.4 percent, Liberal Democratic Party 13.2 percent and Fair Russia 6.2 percent.

In spite of a recession which is the longest in two decades, Putin and United Russia remain popular. Russian action in Crimea and the Ukraine has actually resulted in an increase in Russian nationalism and support for Putin. Putin said that Russia did not need any "shock therapy" to come out of the recession but balanced economic and social reforms. However, the recession has taken its toll on Putin's popularity which peaked at 60 percent 18 months ago but is now about 40 percent as there has been a steep decline in average income of Russians.

The Kremlin tried to avoid fraud allegations by appointing long-time human rights advocate, Ella Pamfilova to head the election commission and also 500 OSCE monitors observed the election. Kanerva of the OSCE said that there were procedural irregularities at vote counts, and local authorities did not always treat contestants equally. Some state employees complained there was pressure on them to vote for United Russia.

Turnout was low compared to previous elections at 48 percent. In 2011 the turnout was 60 percent. United Russia won over three quarters of the seats in the Duma as compared to just over half in the 2011 election. In spite of the gain in seats almost 4 million fewer Russians voted for United Russia this election. There were especially low turnouts in Moscow and St. Petersburg. There appear to be no signs of the street protests that erupted after the 2011 election.

​The win will probably encourage Putin to run for a fourth term for president. Putin said it was too early to say if he would run for president in 2018.

Op-Ed: President el-Sisi came to power in Egypt after leading a coup that overthrew former president Morsi. He later was elected president.

Throughout this period, Putin gave strong support for Sisi. Since then, relations between the two countries have strengthened.

In 2014 Russia and Egypt signed a $3.5 billion arms deal. Recently, the two countries signed a further military cooperation agreement that will see Egyptian officers and troops trained in Russian military academies. Putin also had a successful visit to Cairo back in February this year.

These moves by Egypt will provide the Egyptian government more leverage in dealing with the US which provides not only substantial military aid to Egypt but also trains many of its armed forces. In response to Egypt's horrible human rights record and suppression of opposition, the US had suspended some military aid. Egypt's response was to show the US that it could also find military aid elsewhere.

The US counter-move was announced by Obama just yesterday. He is renewing all suspended aid to Egypt. Egypt will now receive $1.3 billion in aid that was suspended after the overthrow of elected president Morsi and the subsequent crackdown on opposition.

The situation in Egypt has not changed in terms of the crackdown but no doubt the Russian aid showed the US that it was not a good idea to try to use arms aid as leverage to improve the political situation within Egypt.

The announced reason for the change in policy is the typical one that can justify anything these days, the danger of the Islamic State. The problem is that Sisi supports General Haftar in Libya. Haftar is armed forces commander of the internationally-recognized Tobruk government.

Haftar is battling not just the Islamic State but the competing government based in Tripoli which is also being attacked by the Islamic State. In other words, SIsi can use his weapons to turn the tide in Haftar's battle to retake territory from the Tripoli government.

The US and other western countries have supported the UN peace process. Haftar has sabotaged the process whenever he could. With renewed arms supplied by Egypt ostensibly to help fight the Islamic State, Haftar can carry out his mission to defeat the forces of the competing government in Tripoli.

With the release of the suspended military aid to Egypt, Sisi will receive 12 F-16 fighter jets, replacements kits for 125 Abrams tanks, 20 Harpoon missiles, and the $1.3 billion that had been suspended.

Egypt's improving relationships with Russia have also caused some tension with Saudi Arabia although on many issues such as military action against Yemen the two agree completely. At the Arab League meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el_Sheik, the two states however disagreed on the issue of Syria. Sisi urged a political solution to the conflict. Saudi Arabia insists that Assad must go, but el-Sisi stressed the need to battle terrorism and prevent the collapse of Syrian state institutions.

He is planning to host a conference of the Syrian opposition to form a unified political position on talks. This is the type of action that Russia would prefer as well.

While Egypt does not outright give support for Assad, an Egyptian official told AP that the Assad regime "must be part of the negotiations and the transitional period." The opposition members who would agree to this are no doubt few in number and any political agreement might have very little effect on the battles taking place in Syria. The tightly controlled press in Egypt and Saudi Arabia lambasted each other for their respective positions on Syria.

Egypt is obviously trying to develop its own more independent foreign policy that is distressing not just to the US but US ally Saudi Arabia as well.Sources:http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_306481/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=DjjE3NsHhttp://www.businessinsider.com/russia-and-egypt-military-agreement-2015-3http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/moscow-cairo-relations-sisi-putin-egypt-visit.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/31/obama-restores-us-military-aid-to-egypthttp://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/how-to-judge-putins-trip-to-egypt

Ken Hanly

Ken is a retired philosophy professor living in the boondocks of Manitoba, Canada, with his Filipina wife. He enjoys reading the news and writing articles. Politically Ken is on the far left of the political spectrum on many issues.

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